Game apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

ROBERT S. CROOKS AND FRANK B. CROOKS, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA..

GAME APPARATUS. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,281, dated July 27,1897..l Application filed October 22, 1896. Renewed .Tuly 6, 1897.Serial No. 643,614. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT S. CRooKs and FRANK B. Cnooxs, citizens ofthe United States,residing at San Francisco,in.the county of SanFrancisco and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Game Apparatus; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to a certain new and useful device for shufflingand cutting cards or similar articles in games or entertainments; and itconsists in the arrangement of parts and details of construction, aswill be hereinafter fully set forth in the drawings, and

' described and pointed out in` the specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple and inexpensivedevice to be used in connection with card games or entertainments forshuffling, cutting, and exposing a hand of cards in the game beingplayed; the. device being so constructed that with each throw thereofthe cards or articles employed in the game are not only shuffled andcut, but a given line or row of cards is exposed to the view of thewinner.

In order fully to understand the invention, reference must be had to theaccompanying sheet of drawings, forming a partof this application,wherein- Figure l is a full front View in elevation of the device, thefront plate or cover thereof being partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a sideView in elevation showing the oscillatory shuliflingbox partly brokenaway and the face-plate of the side standard removed so as to expose thelock mechanism for the shuffling-box. Fig. 3 is a broken perspectiveview of the side standard, the face-plate being removed and the positionwhich the lock mechanism assumes being shown just prior to theoperating-weightescaping from its pathway; and Fig. 4. is across-sectional top plan view taken on line az, Fig. 2.

In the drawings the letter A is used t-o indicate the swingingshuffling-box, which box is closed by the cover or top plate A. From thesides of the shuffling-box, which is preferably made of metal, projectthe trunnions a a', which trunnions fit within openings formed throughthe inner face-plate of the hollow standards B B. The shuffling-box isthus suspended between the hollow standards. l

The lower portion of the cover or top plate A is cut away, so as toprovide a transverse `opening through which the cards exposed may beviewed, said opening being closed or covered by a glass plate B2, whichplate is held in place by the frame B3, secured to the cover or topplate by screws ZJ.

To the inner face of the back plate or bottom of the shuffling-box A aresecured the ribs or partition-fingers 1 2 3 4, which ribs orpartition-lingers may be formed integral with the shuffling-box or maybe made separate therefrom. These ribs or partitions divide the lowerportion of the shuflling-box into five separate compartments 5 6 7 S 9,which compartments receive and hold the shullled cards. `It will beobserved by reference to Fig. l of the drawings that the ribs or lingersdo 4not extend the full height of the shufflingbox, but only part way.

The upper end of the ribs or lingers 1 and 3 terminates a short distancebelow the axial lline of the shuffling box or casing A, while the ribsor fingers 2 and L'extend a given distance above the axial line, orabout two-thirds the height of the shuffling box or casing. Consequentlythe upper portion of the said box or casing serves as an enlargedshufflingcompartment C. The trunnion a projects within the hollowstandard B and has secured thereon the mutilated ratchet-wheels C C2.These ratchetwheels are placed one in advance of the other upon thetrunnion a, and the teeth thereof are engaged by the teeth b h2 of thepawl D. The

tooth h2 engages the teeth of ratchet-wheel C2 and the tooth b engagesthe teeth of ratchetwheel C', Figs. 2 and 3. The pawl D is fulcrumed tothe back plate of the standard B by means of the pin d, andsaid pawl isprovided with a downwardlyextending tailpiece D. From the said pawllaterally projects the arm d', upon which arm is adjustably secured thecounterbalance weight d2. This counterbalance-weight is sufficient tothrow the tailpiece D to one side of its perpendicular, Fig. 2, which isits normal position. When the tailpiece stands in the positionillustrated in IOCI roV

Fig. 2, the tooth b of the pawl D will be thrown upward into engagementwith the teeth of the ratchet-wheel C. Then in this postion, theratchetwheel will be locked and it will be impossible toswing theshuiiling box or casing A until the pawl is released from engagementwith the ratchet-wheel C. rlhis can be accomplished only by sufficientpressure being brought to bear upon the tailpiece D to overcome that Vofthe counterbalance-v weight cl2.

By employing two ratchet wheels with which one of' the teeth of the pawlD at all.

times engages it is obvious that oneof said ratchet-wheels remainslocked against movement in one direction while the other is free to turnor rotate. Consequently if the shuffling-box be moved upward it cannotbe moved downward until the tooth b2 has moved out of engagement withthe ratchet-wheel C2, and after it has been moved downward it cannot bemoved upward until the tooth b is moved out of engagement with theratchet-wheel C.

Through the top of the hollow standard B is formed an opening d3,through which the metal disk c for releasing the pawl is inserted. Thismetallic disk is sufficient in weight to overbalance the pressure of thecounterbalance-weight dz. The disk, when inserted through the openingcl3, falls upon the inclined shelf c', located wit-hin the hollowstandard B, by which it is guided into the runway e2, formed bytheshoulder f, cast integral with the back plate of the said standard, andthe shoulder f', cast with the faceplate E, Fig. 4. Vhen the face-plateis secured to the hollow standard, the shoul' ders f f form thepassage-way e2 for the disk. As the weight of the metal disk bearsagainst the outer face of the tailpiece D the said tail is forced pastits perpendicular in an opposite direction and the tooth b is moved outof engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel C. The ratchet-wheelbeing thus released the operator, by taking hold of one of thefinger-pieces f2, laterally projecting from the box or casing, mayreadily throw the shuffling box or casing into a position the reverse ofthat shown in position 2 of the drawings. As the box or casing is swungor tilted over the cards are thrown together and intermixed within theupper portion or chamber C of the shuiiiing box or casing. During thetilting of the shuffling' box or casing the ratchet-wheels @'02 turnwith the rotation of the trunnion CL. By the time the shutiling box orcasing has been swung or tilted over its full distance the tooth b2 ofthe pawl will be opposite the deep indentation g cut in theratchet-wheel C2 (position illustrated in Fig. 3) and move therein bythe tailpiece D being thrown farther out of its perpendicular, owing tothe pressure of the disk e in t-he passage-way. As the tooth b2 movesinto the deep indentation g the tailpiece will move sufficiently far toenable the disk e to move from within the passage-way e2 into the bottomof the hollow standard or receptacle located at the end thereof toreceive the same, The moment the disk has moved out of the passage-waythe pressure of' the counterbalance*weight throws the tailpiece D intothe position illustrated in Fig. 2, so as to move the tooth b of thepawl into engagement withv the teeth of the ratchet-wheel C'. After thetooth b2 has moved out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheelC2 the shuffling box or casing is free to be swung downward. As theshuffling box or casing is thus tilted or swung over the cards containedin the chamber C fall by gravity to the lower end of' the box or casing.During their downward movement the cards strike against the upper end ofthe ribs or 4cutting-fingers l 2 3 4t and are guided into the severalcompartments 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, being exposed in the compartmentsthrough the transparent covering or plate B2.

It will thus be readily understood that the object of the game is to seewhich of the players can secure the highest hand by a throw or deal ofthe cards, the one securing the highest hand being the winner in thegame.

Inasmuch as each time the shuffling box or casing is thrown upward thecards are thoroughly shuffled or mixed within the upper chamber of thesaid box or casing and as the box or casing is lowered the cards fallingdownward are out and directed into separate compartments by means of theribs or cutting-lingers l 2 3 4, it is obvious that adifferent hand invalue will nearly always be exposed to View with each throw or turn ofthe shuffling box or casing.

As the shuffling box or casing is locked after each throw against upwardmovement unless a fresh disk be inserted within the slot cl3 to releasethe lock mechanism it follows that the throw of the shuffling box orcasing cannot be changed without deliberately releasing the lockmechanism. To provide against any one of the players securing a secondthrow of' the shuffling box or casing unbeknown to the balance of theplayers by slipping a disk within the slot d3, the disks should be underthe control of one of the players, designated as the banken Having thusdescribed our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secureprotection in by Letters Patent, is 4 l. In a game apparatus, thecombination IOO IIO

with the side standards, of the card-shuffling box or casing mounted toswing between the standards, the lock mechanism for controlling themovement of the shuflling-box, and the cutting ribs or fingers securedwithin the shuffling box or casing.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination with the eardshuffling box orcasing mounted to swing between side standards, of a series of cuttingribs or fingers located within the shuffling box or casing so as todivide the lower portion thereof into a series of independentcompartments and its upper portion into a card-shuiiiing chamber, and ofmechanism for controlling the movement of the shufiin g box or casing.

8. In a game apparatus, the combination with the card-shuffling box orcasing mounted to swing between side standards, of a series ofindependent card-compartments formed in the lower portion of the box orcasing, a cham'- ber within which the cards are shufiied or intermixedformed in the upper portion of the box or casing, an opening formed inthe lower portion of the top plate or cover of the box or casing, atransparent covering for said opening, and suitable mechanism forcontrolling the swing or movement of the shuftiing box or casing.

4. In a game apparatus, the combination with the shuffling box or casingmounted to swing between side standards, of the trun-` nions upon whichthe said box or casing turns working within said side standards, theratchet wheels located within one of said standards and mounted on thetrunnion working therein, the fulorumed pawl which engages the teeth ofthe ratchet-wheels, the tailpiece depending from the fulcrumed pawl, thecounterbalance-weight for throwing one of the teeth of the pawl intolocked engagement with one of the ratchet-wheels, a passage-way formedwithin the said side standard into and through which a weight or disktravels, which weight or disk during its travel through the saidpassage-Way, engages the tailpiece of the fulcrumed pawl and throws thesame so as to release the pawl from locked engagement with theratchet-wheels in order that the shuffling box or casing may be free toswing.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses, this 3d day of October, 1896.

ROBERT S. CROGKS. FRANK B. CROOKS.

Vitnesses:

N. A. AGKER, M. G. LOEFLER.

